EPILOGUE
GAUGE
Sitting around the firepit, the glow from the flames dancing across Shooter’sharsh expression, Icouldn’thelp but tense up as his words made their way to me.
“It was Thomas,” he said almost apologetically, already knowing how personal I’dtake it but knowing he had to tell me regardless.
“Where is he now?” Iasked. Six feet under was where he was gonna be, that was for damn certain.
“He’swith the Vipers. What’sleft of them anyway,” Shooter said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. His gaze met mine, angry blue eyes staring into my dark ones. “He’ll get his though.”
Inodded, not trusting myself to speak just yet. Rage coursed through my veins, anger infiltrating every pore in my body. The clubhouse being blown apart was because of me, because I’dcut Thomas loose. Idragged ahand down my beard and tried to steady my breathing, but nausea kept on climbing back up my throat.
Glancing over at the new clubhouse structure, the ghost of our previous club still visible to me, Igrew even angrier. Angry at myself, and angry at Thomas. I’dknown cutting him loose had been the right thing to do, that sooner or later he’dfuck up and it would cost my club, but Ihadn’tforeseen the size of his balls. I’dwrongly assumed he’dgo back home to his mom. Maybe enroll in college, get ajob waiting tables, find himself anice girl and one day look back on his past with fond memories of the days he cut loose with agroup of bikers. Instead he’dturned tail and headed straight to our enemy, spilling all our secrets. They’drecruited him on the grounds that he had to prove himself by planting abomb in the middle of our grounds.
Istood up, drinking the last of my beer and throwing the bottle to one side in afit of rage. My knuckles throbbed with the desire to hit something. Iwould find him and tear him apart piece by piece.
“I’mgoing to kill him,” Isaid finally.
Shooter stood up and placed ahand on my shoulder. “Iknow, brother. We’ll find him. Like Isaid, he’ll get his.”
Inodded again, my muscles feeling like ants were crawling through them, making me restless. Ihated that there was nothing that Icould do. That Ihad to sit and wait. Iwasn'tapatient man—not when it came to those that hurt my family.
“Casa’sworking on it,” Shooter assured me.
“I’msorry, Prez,” Ifinally said. “This shit is on me.” Iwaved ahand at the clubhouse.
Shooter, never one to mix up his words, nodded in agreement. “Yeah it is, though Itrust your instincts, Gauge, always have. You told me he wasn’tright for the club, and he just proved your point. If it wasn’tthis, it would have been further down the line. Maybe another Pipes situation.”
Pipes had been atraitor to the club and working with Hardy. We’dtrusted him implicitly, believing him to be our brother, but the whole time he’dbeen working against us.
“Iguess,” Irelented with anod.
Laney came around to the fire, Jolie in tow. They were talking like sisters and fuck me, they could have been. My stomach flipped, and not for the first time Iwondered what the fuck Iwas doing with agirl like her. But then Jolie broke off from Laney and came closer to me, as if sensing my unease. Ipulled her against my chest, and it all felt right again.
“What’swrong?” she asked.
“Club stuff,” Ireplied, and she rolled her eyes in annoyance but didn’tpress the subject. She knew Iwouldn’ttalk about any of it with her. That was one line Iwouldn'tcross, no matter how much she hated me for it. “Marcel get to his meeting okay?” Iasked.
“Yeah, Danton took him,” she replied, and then she yawned. It wasn’tdainty and cute; it was ahorror movie kind of yawn, and my eyes widened.
“Jesus,” Isaid, and her eyes narrowed.
“Fuck off, Gauge, I’mtired okay? Gimme abreak!”
Ismirked. “Thought you were gonna bite my fuckin’ head off when you opened up like that.”
“Ha ha,” she replied dryly. “You’re such an asshole.” She attempted to pull out of my arms, but Iheld her tighter, refusing to let her get away. “Don’tmake me bite you!”
“Now that sounds like something Icould get behind.” Iwinked.
Her face contorted into ascowl. “Do you ever think about anything else?”
Ireached around and squeezed her ass hard enough to make her squirm and squeal in my grip. “Not when you’re around.”
Blue and red lights suddenly lit up the clubhouse yard, and we all turned to stare as two cop cars pulled to astop in front of our grounds. Shooter shot me alook, and Ireleased Jolie so we could walk over to the cops together and find out what they wanted.
“Idon’tlike this,” Jolie said, tugging on my arm.
